As above, so below? Narrative salience and side effects of national innovation systems

Abstract

Abstract:This paper furthers previous attempts at integrating narratology in policy analysis. Embracing an open-ended definition of narrative, it stresses the importance of maintaining distinct narrative levels and, more generally, of taking into account the pragmatic dimension of narration as an activity, including the often-implicit role and focalisation of the policy analyst. Developing a conceptual analogy between storytelling and the exercise of power, it argues for a critical use of practical imagination in 'cold' situations of 'narrative salience', characterized by the absence of controversy or uncertainty, an uneven distribution of the power of scenarisation. These propositions for a 'revisited' approach to policy narratives, equidistant from the positivist and post-positivist dichotomy, are tested on the case of 'narrative salience' where a particular storyline, national innovation systems, is so dominant that there appears to be no 'counter-story'.

Different Influence of Cooperation and Public Funding on Innovation Activities Within German Industries

“…However, they have sufficient and positive linkages with other actors, especially the private non-governmental organizations sectors. The practice shows that NIS should constitute the public policy framework; however, it cannot be a tool for the development of all regions in the country (Claisse & Delvenne, 2016). Every region develops at different pace; some measures in some regions may not be applicable at all etc.…”

Narrative Politics in Policy Discourse: The Debate Over Safe Injection Sites in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“…The function of a curator is to seek out artworks (narratives), handle them carefully and respectfully, keep an eye out for fraudulent suspects, and present them together (or juxtapose them against one another) at a public showing (in a scholarly journal). The researcher faithfully collects narratives in order to reinterpret them and the policy problem from an extradiegetic vantage point (Claisse & Delvenne, 2017), assessing the narratives on their own terms to provide evidence (or not) of diverse policy agendas and political contestation. Considerations regarding what to leave in and what to leave out persist throughout the preparation.…”

Symbolic politics and government response to a national emergency: Narrating the COVID-19 crisis

“…In search of a more effective framing, the novel virus is quickly dubbed "the invisible enemy"; allusions are made to similar events, both recent and distant. Moreover, testing narratives in the absence of an appropriately tailored script, the government resorts to adapting existing ones, thus introducing ad hoc scenarization (Claisse & Delvenne, 2017). The pandemic is likened to 9/11, Chernobyl, World War II, the Cold War, the Great Depression-all intended to invoke feelings of unity and solidarity in the face of a common threat while deflecting blame for any inadequate action.…”

“…Reality show with elements of presidential campaign in the midst of a celebrity (postmodern) presidency engaged in symbolic politics (Santis & Zavattaro, 2019) complements that perception. Given the simplicity of policy narratives (hence their popularity), analyzing and reordering their symbolic representation is especially useful for sense-making (Claisse & Delvenne, 2017) in the COVID-19 reality. At this point, it is legitimate to ask: are events driving the narrative or the narrative is driving events?…”